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on 2006/10/6 7:55:01
The clamour in Bollywood circles against the Government's proposal to ban smoking scenes in films seems to have got louder.
Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss voicing his displeasure over smoking scenes featuring superstar Shahrukh Khan in Farhan Akhtar's forthcoming film Don seems to have set off a fresh wave of discordant voices in the film world.
Talking about the Union Health Minister taking objection to scenes showing the star smoking a cigarette in his forthcoming 'Don', Shahrukh says, "I will not go to the extent of saying that smoking is artistic in cinema and that is why we are having this problem. However, the larger issue involved here is today it is smoking in films, tomorrow what?"
"I truly believe that Indian masses are literate enough to know that there is no more a Humphrey Bogart kind of smoking that one would start smoking as an actor does. Also, for most of them, it is a very small issue."
"I feel that the powers that be should look at bigger health issues than smoking in films," Shahrukh said in an interview to a TV channel this week.
To the argument by the authorities that smoking scenes be banned as cigarettes are injurious to health, Shahrukh said, "I'd like to appeal to any authority that if smoking is bad, do not permit production of cigarettes in the country. My logic is you are not stopping it despite telling that its harmful just because it gives a revenue to the Government. Then don't stop my revenue. After all, I am an actor and am supposed to do a job and get revenue from it."
Shah Rukh Khan recently opposed the proposal of branding a film with smoking scenes under the category of 'A' by the Censor Board.
Also opposing the idea of banning smoking scenes in films is Bollywood actor Gulshan Grover who considers any such proposal as a curb on an actor's creativity. "If you feel smoking is injurious to health, ban production of cigarettes. If you can't do it, why stop actors from endorsing these products or ban smoking scenes?" Gulshan Grover said.
Also critical of the Government's proposal to either delete smoking scenes in films or grant 'A' certificate to films with such scenes is actor-filmmaker Rehan, whose debut film as actor 'Jaana-Let's Fall In Love' releases today.
"The Government does not want to ban the sale of cigarettes probably because it today earns as much as Rs 8000 crore per year from the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products. At the same time, they feel it fit to consider a ban on smoking scenes in films and ask filmmakers to remove such scenes from their ventures. This is clearly an attempt to curb the creativity of filmmakers," said Rehan.
On the criticism of smoking scenes in 'Don' featuring Shahrukh Khan, Rehan said, "Do they (the censor board and the government) expect a 'Don' to drink milk?"
"If you do not want to ban smoking and sale of cigarettes why put a curb on the creativity of a filmmaker? After all, any smoking scenes in a film are as per the requirements of the story and the character," he said.
The hullabaloo over smoking scenes in 'Don' notwithstanding, the film has been granted a UA certificate by the Censor Board. However, trade sources said the version shown to the board had the cigarette smoking scene of Shahrukh pruned. In any case, the sources said the 'UA' certificate was due to the film having a lot of violence and not any other reason.
source:HINDU
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